Motoring Advice Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Dangerous Driving Solicitors.’

Jed Ogilvie, 25, of Paignton, Devon was seen weaving between cars at incredibly high speeds on the very busy A38, in Plymouth. Police clocked his speed at 135mph, nearly twice the legal limit while pursuing him, during which time he jumped a red light and sped across a roundabout before heading off the A38 into Embankment Road.

Ogilvie managed to outrun the squad cars chasing after him, however when he tried to undertake a car he slammed into the side of the vehicle, throwing him off his bike.

The driver of the car got out to help him, but Ogilvie climbed back onto his bike and said, “Don’t call the police, don’t get them involved – I will pay for it”

He was then about to speed away when two shop workers, who had watched the incident, held him back long enough for the police to arrive at the scene.

Ogilvie was arrested for possessing a class C drug; driving a motor vehicle dangerously; using a vehicle without insurance and riding without a license. He was jailed for a total of 12 months.

He was also banned from the road for two years.

The judge said Ogilvie maintained a “sustained period of extremely dangerous driving” before colliding with a car and then attempting to flee the scene.

Forrest Williams, specialist Motoring Solicitors commented –

Drink Driving carries a mandatory 12 months disqualification and often leads to imprisonment. You will also have to pass an extended re test. Dangerous Driving is defined in section 2A of the RTA 1988 as “the standard of driving falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous.”

Sometimes it can be difficult to differentiate dangerous driving from careless driving. In effect it is simply how far below the expected standard of driving the driving was. The penalties are very different. You cannot go to prison for careless driving and there is not an obligatory disqualification although the court can impose a disqualification they can also impose penalty points instead.

It is important to get expert advice on this. We may be able to persuade the prosecution to reduces the charges to careless driving or if appropriate we can plead Not Guilty and defend you at trial.

A nightshift worker was followed by police officers for several miles when spotted driving erratically through Frome.

Officers stopped Steven John Watts after following him for several miles as he drove through Frome on March 31st.

Officers intended to do a breath test but after pulling the vehicle over, they could not smell any sign of alcohol at all on the defendant, who claimed he wasn’t drunk, just very tired and on his way to work.

Watts pleaded guilty to driving a MG ZR on the A361 at Frome well below the speed limit without due care or attention at Midnight.

He was told by magistrates that he should not have been driving at all when faced with his level of tiredness before fining him £65, endorsing his license with a total of three penalty points and ordering him to pay £35 costs along with a £20 victim surcharge.

“They followed it and the vehicle drifted into the middle of the road on several occasions and turned off a roundabout towards the village of Tytherington,” she said.

“This was done without indication and it them moved across the central white line and continued to drift across the road and on one occasion it was on the wrong side of the road.

She also added, “It was driving at erratic speeds, suddenly accelerating and then slowing down and after one mile it approached a T junction and didn’t stop but turned right without looking.”

The court was told by Watts that he tried to get some sleep before his next shift after returning home from a night shift the previous day delivering newspapers.

Our Dangerous Driving Solicitor says that tiredness is not a defence to dangerous driving and may be an aggravating factor. The courts may consider that you started driving knowing that you were tool tired. Having said that the court dealt with him very leniently imposing the minimum of 3 penalty points.